Data presented here may not be the most recent available
Globalshift.co.uk - copyright © 2009 to 2025; All rights reserved
2025
No significant news in 2025.
2024
No significant news in 2024.
2023
Jul 2023: Tullow, Kosmos, GNPC, Petro SA and Jubilee Oil Holdings announced start-up of the Jubilee South East (JSE) Project. The first well has been brought onstream and 2 producers and 1 water injector are expected this year to help sustain gross Jubilee production over 100,000 bbls of oil per day.
2022
Aug 2022: Aker Energy has delayed the submission of a development programme for the Pecan field in the Deepwater Tano/Cape Three Points licence area while Lukoil remains a member of the international consortium formed to develop the asset.
2021
Nov 2021: The first of 10 subsea trees has been assembled and tested for Tullow’s full field development (FFD) project at the Jubilee Southeast extension to the Jubilee field which straddles the West Cape Three Points and Deepwater Tano licenses. The Jubilee field came on-stream in December 2010.
Oct 2021: Occidental has agreed to sell its interests in the Jubilee and TEN fields for US$750 mm to Kosmos Energy (US$550 mm) and GNPC (US$200 mm).
Jul 2021: Eni (operator, 42.469%), Vitol (33.975%), GNPC (10%), Woodfields (9.556%) and GNPC Explorco (4%) announced an oil discovery in the Eban - 1X well, the second in CTP Block 4. The well is 8 kms northwest of the Sankofa Hub and was drilled 545m of water. It has an oil column of 80m in a Cenomanian sandstone. A tie-in to the John Agyekum Kufuor FPSO is planned.
Apr 2021: Tullow has started a multi-well offshore drilling campaign with a development well at the Jubilee field. The Maersk Venturer drillship, contracted for 4 years, will drill 4 wells in 2021 at the TEN and Jubilee fields (2 Jubilee producers and one water injector plus one TEN gas injector).
2020
Nov 2020: Eni, operator of the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) Block, and Springfield, operator of the West Cape Three Points (WCTP) Block 2, have been ordered to unitise their Sankofa and Afina fields as their reservoir is in the same Cenomanian Sand Channel. Sankofa began production in 2017 and Afina was discovered in 2019.
Jun 2020: Aker Energy (operator), Lukoil, Fueltrade and GNPC will try to revive the Pecan field development with a phased approach. A redeployed FPSO in the south will be followed, in later years, by a 2nd FPSO in the north with tie-ins of other discoveries. The field is in water depths ranging from 2,400 to 2,700m.
Apr 2020: Aker Energy was to develop the Pecan field with an FPSO connected to subsea wells at 2,400m water depth in the Deepwater Tano Cape Three Points block. The Letter of Intent (LOI) to charter an FPSO from Yinson has now been terminated until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mar 2020: Tullow Oil is improving efficiency and reliability at the Jubilee FPSO to increase gas processing capacity. Following repairs to the water injection system it is operating at full capacity. The Ministry of Energy has also approved increased flaring from Jubilee and TEN, boosting production. Jubilee is delivering over 90,000 bbls per day of oil.
2019
Nov 2019: Springfield (operator) has made a significant oil discovery at the Afina-1x well in the West Cape Three Points Block 2 in the Tano / Western Basin. Partners are GNPC and its subsidiary, Explorco. Water depth is around 1030m. Afina is flanked by the Jubilee, Sankofa and Sankofa East oil and gas fields. The Pecan complex lies to the south.
Nov 2019: Tullow predicts production from the Jubilee field of 89,000 bbls per day in 2019. This is below expectations due to topside issues impacting water injection and gas handling. TEN’s output of 62,000 bbls per day has been constrained by suspension of the EN14-P well. Gas exports have also been limited by low demand from GNPC.
May 2019: Eni (operator, 42.469%), with Vitol (33.975%), GNPC (10%), Woodfields (9.556%) and Explorco (4%), made a gas and condensate discovery in CTP-Block 4 within a Cenomanian reservoir in the Akoma-1X well. It is 12 kms NW of the Sankofa hub in a water depth of 350m.
Mar 2019: Aker Energy (operator, 50%) with Lukoil (38%), GNPC (10%) and Fueltrade (2%) announced an oil discovery in the Pecan South-1A well, south of the Pecan field, in the Deepwater Tano/Cape Three Points (DWT/CTP) Block. A sidetrack will be drilled to further appraise the discovery followed by Pecan Southeast. A Plan of Development for the Pecan field is to be submitted. It will be Ghana’s 4th offshore field.
Jan 2019: Tullow Oil announced plans to drill 7 wells on the TEN and Jubilee fields in 2019 to increase total production to around 180,000 bbls of oil per day with some gas.
2018
Dec 2018: Sixteen companies have submitted 58 applications for 1 or more of 5 offshore blocks in the first exploration licensing round. They are Tullow, Total, Eni, Cairn, Harmony, ExxonMobil, CNOOC, Qatar Petroleum, BP, Vitol, Global Petroleum, Aker, First, Kosmos, Sasol and Equinor.
Oct 2018: The first Oil and Gas Licensing Round of 6 offshore blocks has been launched by the Ministry of Energy. Global oil majors and some independent producers have shown interest in acquiring a stake. Ghana will put up another 6 offshore blocks for auction in 2019.
Aug 2018: Aker Energy will delay submitting a plan for development of the 450mm bbl Pecan field until 2019 in order to first complete appraisal drilling in the Deepwater Tano Cape Three Points block.
Jul 2018: Eni (operator, 44.44%) started gas production from the Sankofa field in the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) Integrated Oil and Gas Project from 2 of 4 deepwater subsea wells connected to the John Agyekum Kufuor FPSO. The field will provide up to 1.86 bcm a year for at least 15 years. Partners are Vitol (35.56%) and GNPC (20%).
Apr 2018: Ghana will launch its first exploration licensing round in the last quarter of 2018, offering 6 offshore blocks plus 3 more in 2019. Companies have shown interest in acquiring a stake in oil assets in Ghana but have been asked to wait for the bidding round.
2017
May 2017: Eni (operator, 44.44%) launched production from the Integrated Oil & Gas Development Project in the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) block via the John Agyekum Kufuor FPSO from the Sankofa Main, Sankofa East and Gye-Nyame fields. The project also includes the development of gas. Commercial production will start in July. Partners are Vitol (35.56%) and GNPC 20%.
May 2017: Tullow plans to drill new wells and boost output at its offshore TEN field 80,000 bbls a day once a maritime dispute with Cote D’Ivoire is resolved. The field (Tweneboa, Enyenra and Ntomme) produced first oil in August 2016 and 6 more wells are needed.
Mar 2016: TechnipFMC is developing the onshore Gas to Power programme as part of the Sankofa project. The US$7.7bn offshore project comprising fields in the OCTP Block (Sankofa Main and East and Gye Nyame) in water depths of 600 to 1000 m will use an FPSO, shuttle tankers and a gas pipeline to facilities near the village of Sanzule. First oil is expected in mid-2017 and gas in 2018.
2016
Jun 2016: Tullow revised estimates of output from the Jubilee field. Production was interrupted in March after the FPSO was found to have a fault in a bearing on its turret moored to the seabed to allow the ship to rotate. It will probably pump up to 68,000 bbls per day in 2016 and will need to halt again during the first half of 2017 to install a new mooring system.
Apr 2016: Swiss African Oil Company and PET Volta Investments have been awarded a licence for the Keta Delta block, in the Volta Region. The block covers an area of 3,000 sq kms and is the first oil exploration block in onshore Ghana.
Mar 2016: GNPC, Explorco, Vitol, Eni and Woodfields have been awarded the Cape Three Points Block 4 in water depths from 100 to 1200 m in the offshore Tano Basin. GNPC, Vitol and Eni are already developing the Sankofa and Gye Nyame fields where oil production start-up is expected in 2017, with gas production for the power industry in 2018. The new block neighbours these fields.
Jan 2016: Tullow (operator, 35.48%) hopes for approval of the Greater Jubilee Full Field Development Plan (GJFFD), including Mahogany and Teak, in 2016. The field came onstream in 2010. Partners are Kosmos and Anadarko (24.08% each), GNPC (13.63%) and PetroSA (2.73%). Production reached 102,600 bpd in 2015 with some gas. Tullow forecasts 101,000 bpd for 2016.
2015
Oct 2015: Erin announced that volume assessment of the 3 fields, Tano North, Tano West, and Tano South , has been completed in the Expanded Shallow Water Tano (ESWT) Block. In-place volumes have been assessed at 500 mm bbls of oil and 8 BCM of gas with 14 wells drilled.
Apr 2015: Tullow can move ahead with its offshore TEN project after an international maritime tribunal ruled in a border dispute between Ghana and Ivory Coast that Ghana could continue the US$4.9 bn development but not engage in new exploration.
Jan 2015: Eni (operator, 47.22%), Vitol (37.77%) and GNPC (15%) have signed with the government to proceed with the OCTP project. First oil is expected in 2017 with first gas in 2018. OCTP is a deepwater development 60 kms from the Western Region coast with 41 bcm of gas and 500 mm bbls of oil in place. The gas will supply Ghana’s power system to 2036.
2014
Nov 2014: Eni (operator, 47.2%) and Vitol (37.8%) have been approved to produce the Sankofa project in the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) block with an FPSO. The US$6 bn project is expected to start oil and gas production by mid-2017. GNPC has 15% with an option for an additional 5%. The project is expected to deliver up to 1.75 bcm of gas each year for 20 years.
Sep 2014: The delayed US$850 mm project to supply gas from the Jubilee oil field to a terminal at Atuabo will not start until the end of 2014. Some gas will start flowing soon but commissioning will be when the full volume of 1.25 bcm per year is transmitted via 111 km pipeline to thermal turbines at Aboadze.
May 2014: Camac Energy has signed a Petroleum Agreement with the Government covering the Expanded Shallow Water Tano (ESWT) block in the Tano Basin, 15-35 kms off the coast in water depths from 55m to 116m. The block contains the undeveloped Tano North, Tano West and Tano South fields. Camac is operator (60%), with GNPC (25%) and Base Energy (15%).
Apr 2014: Gasol has announced that African Power Generation has signed a Joint Venture with Ghana National Gas Company to provide gas to Ghana using LNG from the Benin import terminal and sent via the West African Gas Pipeline. Initial gas volumes are expected to be a minimum of 1bcm each year.
Mar 2014: Gas production from the Jubilee oil field is now expected by the third quarter of 2014. Work on the US$750 mm processing plant constructed by Sinopec in the Ellembele district is nearing completion. The project will deliver 1.5 bcm of gas each year. The field, operated by Tullow, has been producing oil since 2010 via an FPSO. Additional injection has had to be used to handle the gas.
2013
Sep 2013: Ghana's delayed natural gas pipeline, which runs from the offshore Jubilee field to a thermal plant near Takoradi, will not begin pumping gas before April 2014.
Aug 2013: Tullow awarded contracts to MODEC to supply an FPSO, converted from a very large crude carrier (VLCC), for the Tweneboa, Enyenra and Ntomme (TEN) cluster development in the Deepwater Tano License. It will have a storage capacity of 1.7 mm bbls and be able to produce 80,000 bbls of oil per day and 1.7 bcm of gas each year. Installation will take place in 2016.
Apr 2013: Oil production from the Jubilee field ranged from 110,000 to 115,000 bbls per day over the first 3 months of 2013. Tullow (operator, 35.5%) set plateau production at 120,000 bbls per day but missed targets because of underperformance. Partners are GNPC (13.6%), Kosmos (24.1%), Anadarko (24.1%) and Sabre/PetroSA (2.7%). Gas is being re-injected pending completion of a pipeline. Ghana is hoping to produce around 1.5 bcm each year.
Feb 2013: Hess has completed its seventh consecutive successful exploratory well on the Deepwater Tano/Cape Three Points block. The Pecan North-1 well encountered approximately 40 feet of net oil pay in a Turonian reservoir. The wells were drilled by the Stena Drillmax drillship. Hess with a 90% interest plans to submit appraisal plans for the discoveries to the Government for approval and has begun pre-development studies. GNPC holds 10% and is carried through to the production phase.
Feb 2013: In 2012 production averaged 72,000 bbls per day from the Jubilee field in the Deepwater Tano and West Cape Three Points blocks. This was less than expected due to productivity issues in some wells. Acid stimulations restored output at a cost of $160 mm. The Jubilee Phase 1A development, in progress, involves adding 5 production wells and 3 water injectors and Tullow expects production from Jubilee in 2013 to be around 105,000 bbls per day.
Feb 2013: Tullow Oil estimates capex of $4.5 bn for the development of the TEN project (Tweneboa, Enyenra, and Ntomme) in the Deepwater Tano block. This includes 23 injection and production wells but excludes lease costs for the FPSO. It will have production capacity of 80,000 bbls per day with a flexible design that allows for future expansion via near-field tie-ins. Start-up from TEN will probably be in 2016.
2012
Dec 2012: Hess has discovered oil offshore Ghana at the Pecan-1 exploration well in the Deepwater Tano/Cape Three Points license. The well found 75 m of pay in two Turonian intervals in 2,513 m of water. Pecan is the fifth discovery on the block and follows previously announced discoveries at Almond, Beech, Hickory North, and Paradise. Hess holds 90% of the block with the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation holding the remainder.
Sep 2012: Eni made the first oil discovery, Sankofa East in 825m of water, within the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) block in the Tano Sub-Basin, about 50 kms off the coast. Eni plans for immediate drilling of wells to delineate the size and confirm feasibility of commercial development. The well encountered 28m of gas and condensate and 76m of oil pay in Cretaceous sandstones and produced 5,000 bbls of oil per day.
Sep 2012: ENI and Vitol have agreed, with the Ghanaian Government and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, the development of gas resources in the Offshore Cape Three Points Block in the Tano Sub-Basin. The agreement focuses on producing gas for the domestic market although actual volumes have not been reported. ENI holds 47.2% of the block, Vitol 37.8% and GNPC 15%.
West Africa
